Agency Search: Is there a man behind the curtain?

We currently manage the business development efforts for close to 50 agencies – and speak with 100’s every month, so we have a good handle on what’s going on out in the agency world.

Important to have the right firm

With digital really coming of age and the complexities of managing in this space increasing, it is ever more important to make sure that you have a digital firm (or full service agency) that can shepherd you appropriately through the forest.

Many (if not all) firms will say they have analytics and can help you make good strategic choices…but do they?

They don’t.

Get the best in class

So when you’re looking for a new shop and you want to be sure that you are getting the best in class support from a measurement and reporting and strategy standpoint.

So what do you do to make sure you’re getting the best digital support in back-end analytics?

Ask them to provide you with detailed case studies outlining how they developed their KPIs, how they measure on-going, and how they react to and improve upon their programs when they are in-market.

Ask them what kinds of tools they’re using – to measure lead performance, social media monitoring, as examples.

Ask them how they buy their digital media. Do they only use networks, and if so why?

Ask them how they re-target (if you’re in the business of wanting to target banner ads at consumers who take specific action on different places in the web).

Many will say “I do”.

But careful on how quickly you accept their statements – and pull back the curtain a bit and see if there really is the man behind the curtain.

Mark is a 30-year veteran of the consumer packaged goods, advertising, and marketing service industry. Mark started his career at DDB Needham in Chicago prior to earning his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Business School at Northwestern where he majored in Marketing and Economics. Prior to starting RSW/US in 2005, Mark was General Manager for AcuPOLL, a global research consultancy. Sneider worked in Marketing for S.C. Johnson and KAO Brands. Sneider has been invited to speak at numerous Agency events and network conferences domestically and internationally including the 4A’s, Magnet, NAMA, TAAN, and MCAN. Sneider has been featured in prominent industry publications including Adweek, Media Post, e-Marketer, and Forbes. When not working (which often seems like not often), Mark likes to run miles, go to church, and just chill with a hard copy issue of Fast Company.